Oh, The Nerve: Betting On Fear In A Volatile Market

NPR: Morning EditionAug 15, 2011

If being invested in a wildly unpredictable stock market freaks you out right now, you're definitely not alone.

In fact, there's an index to measure that nervousness, and even trade on it. It's called the Volatility Index, or VIX, but it also goes by another name: the fear gauge. And during times like these, the VIX draws a lot of attention.